Honor Flight a "trip of a lifetime"

It is difficult to imagine that a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., would have such a profound emotional impact on a 91-year-old World War II veteran, but ask any one of the 89 who took the Central California Honor Flight in late April and you will get the same answer.

Eighty-nine World War II Veterans, both men and women, were taken on a "trip of a lifetime" to view and learn about the various memorials in Washington, D.C., that have been built with entirely donated funds, to honor each branch of the service.

The crowning memorial is the World War II memorial itself, that was completed in 2004, and well worth the trip, if it was the only one to see.

The Iwo Jima memorial is a magnificent bronze casting, the largest in the world, and the figures alone stand a whopping 32 feet high.

It was created from the famous photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal, which depicts five marines and one navy corpsman raising a flag on Mount Suribachi.

However, we were told that when you count the number of hands on the statue, there are 13! Be it legend or myth, the 13th hand was placed there to represent the hand of God helping these soldiers in this task.

The Arlington National Cemetery is where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is found. It is "guarded" 24 hours a day, every day of the year, regardless of weather. The guards serve for 30 minutes during the summer and one hour during the winter. The requirements to be a guard are quite rigid and takes many months of training.

The guards must meet height and weight limits and must memorize six chapters of information about the National Cemetery.

One's mood becomes most somber when viewing the thousands of headstones that cover the rolling hills. One particular hill has headstones with the name and birth date of the veteran, but no other information.

It is covered with markers for those who were missing in action, and the site of the body is unknown.

We were particularly impressed by the outpouring of patriotism demonstrated by civilians, both adults and children, as well as active duty military personnel.

It was kept a secret that our troop leader, Al Perry from Fresno, had contacted members of the veterans' family, asking that a letter be sent to him before the trip. About halfway through our return flight from Washington to Fresno, Mr. Perry announced "mail call." Each veteran had several letters from friends, family members and even elementary-school children in the Fresno area.

On arrival in Fresno, we were greeted at the airport by the Airport Fire Department, with a water canon salute before we left the plane.

Our journey from the airplane to the baggage area was lined with active duty naval personnel, men and women, standing at attention and giving us a salute. When I would look at them with misty eyes and say "thank you," they would respond with a "thank you, sir!" There must have been several hundred people in the lobby of the airport with banners, signs and balloons, as well as a band, to welcome us home.

This trip was a trip I will live and re-live for the rest of my life. I felt such pride and so humble to see such a demonstration of gratitude and patriotism, and my faith is reinforced in the people of this unique country of America, where I am privileged to live.

The Honor Flight Program is open to World War II Veterans, men and women, and wounded veterans of any war.

Marvin L. Lykins is a WWII Veteran and a Porterville resident.

Honor Flight Network

To learn more about honor flights for veterans, go to www.honorflight.org.